dadmonson
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Posts posted by dadmonson
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Benjamin Franklin wanted to achieve moral perfection so he wrote in a journal and marked in his journal everytime he violated one of his virtues... I believe this is one of the reasons he achieved such great success. I want to do something similar but with the Objectivist virtues and instead of using a journal I will be using Habitica.com.
I need more examples of instances in which I can mark when I have practiced a virtue and instances I can mark when I have violated a virtue... Can you think of anymore?
Here is the list I have so far:
Productivity/Purposefulness
Doing items on my to-do list
Going to work
Going to work on time
Violations of Productivity/Purposefulness
Spending more than 30 minutes pottering around when I have better things to do
Not working on a project for more than 3 days in a row because it didn't excite me as much as it did at the beginning.
Honesty
Telling the truth when it's hard
Violations of Honesty
Lying
Justice
Listening to people who deserve it
Apologizing when I have done someone wrong in some way
Disagreeing with someone who disparages views that I agree with
Violations of Justice
Remaining silent when someone disparages my views
Independence
Paying my bills
Looking at my bank account
Violations of independence
Buying something I can't afford
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I can't think of any unique example for rationality and integrity, since rationality and integrity encompasses every example I just listed. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Somebody posted this on a social media site that;
"It baffles me when (People of color) celebrate the 4th.
What are you even celebrating? lth
On July 4th 1776 white people we're celebrating their "independence" while still owning black slaves.
On July 4th 2017 muslims are being banned, the LGBTQ community is being dehumanized,black bodies are dropping and their murderers are running free, millions of people are about to be denied healthcare due to "pre-existing conditions".
There is no liberty, there is no justice, there is no freedom so what are you celebrating?"Here are my rough (knee jerk) thoughts:
"It was the ideas articulated in the Declaration of Independence that eventually put an end to slavery in the U.S.. What does the writer mean by dehumanized? I didn't know that gay's rights were being violated... as far as I know that is illegal. It's also illegal to kill blacks as far as I know of. Healthcare is not a right. "
But that is not convincing at all. I'm interested to see what any of you guys have to say about this post... and how would you respond?
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This is a hypothetical question... What books/essays would a complete newbie, who has only read Ayn Rand's fiction, read first if his goal was at the end of 2 years to try to get a job at ARI as a general speaker/writer like Yaron Brook and Don Watkins?
Pretend he can only read 2 pages a day... What could he do to give him his BEST shot at accomplishing his goal? What would bring him closest to his goal?
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Question is pretty much in the title: ...Affirmative action ,slavery, white priveledge, gangs, some rap music, selective knowledge of history etc. These things need to be dealt with, Any ideas?
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http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6737786?
Here is a short article saying that by raising the minimum wage and increasing taxes on the rich, the Gov. of Minnesota has improved Minnesota's economy.
A family member posted this on facebook and for some reason I want to comment on it, but, I'm slow in intellectual matters.
What would you say if you Had To respond to this article?
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People often say that " the true measure of a man is how that man treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. "
I would say to that... "That's not true. If a person took what you said seriously (practiced what they preached) and wanted to be the best person he could be, according to your standards, then the person could only be great if he had no food, no job, no money, no significant other, no friends etc. because that person knows that in order to be great he has to leave those things for other people to have... I don't have to say how ridiculous that would be. Maybe you just mean being kind to strangers? There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you aren't sacrificing a great value like your child's life by being kind to strangers. Even then however, that shouldn't be the measure of a man. The true measure of a person is how well that person lives his life for himself as determined by nothing else but that person's best rational judgment. A rational judgment is a judgment not based on whim, instinct, intuition, or emotion but a judgment based on the facts of reality..."
Obviously I'm still learning... I've been here for a while, but, I only recently started seriously studying philosophy and to top that off, I'm not really of the intellectual sort... so I'm curious to know how a more experienced Objectivist would respond to that common bromide other than "read this and that..." (assume the person was still open to reason and was basically just repeating what he heard all his life)... feel free to take it further than I did.
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Here is a post that fits this topics: http://deadstate.org/hashtag-designed-to-bash-millennials-get-hijacked-by-millennials-and-spits-truth/
I don't get the optimism some people have of the millenials, it seems that the millenials are just going to doom the economy even more... Remember "The Student Rebellion" essay in CTUI? Those kids had the same views as the kids today... they could've been even more left leaning... Every generation knows that something went wrong with the previous generations but they always turn around and blame the wrong people in those previous generations. To fix the problems they just have the same anti-liberty solutions that the previous generations had. The millenials, most likely, are only going to exacerbate the problem for the next generation and then the cycle of blame will continue...
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"A government investigation found 34,000 instances of Wells Fargo charging African Americans and Hispanics higher fees and rates on mortgages compared with white borrowers with similar credit profiles, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia."
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-wells-lending-settlement-idUSBRE86B0V220120712
Just wanted to share this in case people here didn't know about it. It's another reminder that white on black racism still exists today.
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DISCLOSURE: I haven't finished reading or comprehending ITOE yet.
Recently, I've seen people disparage reading books by saying basically that learning from experience is way more important.
Here are some quotes:
"I am not attracted to book smart. I could not care less about your college degree. I am attracted to raw intelligence. Really anyone can sit behind a desk. I want to know what you know beyond the realm of our society. And only living and seeking can give you that intelligence. We've got time. Let's sit on the rooftop at 2am and introduce me to your mind.."
"Books only contain information (which can be true or false). Information isn't knowledge. Knowledge is gained from personal experience."
"I'm an intellectual who doesn't read books"
It seems to me something is going on here with these quotes but I can't put my finger on what it is... Maybe someone else can give their opinion on whether or not something is wrong with those quotes.
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I have a few more questions:
1. What role does biology and evolution play in masculinity and femininity?
2. Do you think biology and evolution have an influence on what women generally find attractive?
3. If there is a thread that talks about this can you please link it?
4. ... I don't think good looks are as helpful to men as it is to women when it comes to attracting the opposite sex. For instance, I think good looks would get a woman farther sexually (or even relationship-wise) with a man than vice versa. Do you think so too? If so, why do you think that is? If you think biology and/or evolution influences this... do you think that is some variant of determinism?
This is a generalization, I know, and has it's limits. I , for one, wouldn't have sex with a girl without knowing much about her... even if she looked like the girl of my dreams... my hottest celebrity crush.
6. I've seen attractive woman with less attractive males and vice versa. Do you think it is different when a beautiful woman likes an ugly man than when a good looking man likes an ugly woman? Why or why not?
I know you guys aren't mind readers (people are attracted to different things for various reasons) so some of these questions might seem impossible, but, if you can try to generalize a little then maybe you could answer.
I think an Objectivist psychologist really should write a book on this because many people seem to disagree with Ayn on masculinity and femininity for some reason.
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People only know what I choose to show them buddy.
I think I now know the real reason Ayn and Nathan brokeup and it's not even that deep... It is probably because they each kept on trying to analyze each other and they both got tired of being analyzed.
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So the o'ist answer to how to attract an attractive woman is basically self improvement?
Well, I've just finished reading the 6 pillars of self esteem and I must say it's a damn good book... I will reread it again and again and practice the 6 pillars of self esteem until I've internalized everything. I'm very serious about this because I love my life.
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Yeah man, people make it so difficult... All I have to do is get more experience with interacting with girls and that will help me develop into that relaxed, confident, easy-going guy that most girls love!
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I've been reading quite a bit about this and all the conflicting advice is confusing. It's hard to tell the difference between fiction and fact. Is there a certain way you can be to maximize your chances at ending up with the girl you like or not? If so, then what do you suggest? I want something similar to "pick up artist" advice coming from an O'ist perspective, I guess.
I don't agree that all women are the same but I do believe that there are certain ways you can act that will increase or decrease your chances with a girl. For instance, I think we can all agree that being nice will increase your chances and being mean or boring will decrease your chances for most women.
If your answer is be a man of self esteem and be masculine... I would ask you to try to describe how a masculine man of self esteem would be around a woman he was attracted to and what kinds of things would he say? Also would he approach any random girl he finds in the street that he thinks is physically attractive? If so, then how would he approach the girl? What would he say? Does what he say not even matter?
Also, how can a man be sexy?
If anybody can link me to a book, article, essay to read or a video to watch that would great.
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3 hours ago, Repairman said:
Regarding race as a criteria of aesthetic virtue, I agree with the old saying: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And the beholder is an individual.
What do you think of this quote? " To say, “It’s in the eyes of the beholder”—that, of course, would be pure subjectivism, if taken literally. It isn’t [a matter of] what you, for unknown reasons, decide to regard as beautiful. It is true, of course, that if there were no valuers, then nothing could be valued as beautiful or ugly, because values are created by the observing consciousness—but they are created by a standard based on reality. So here the issue is: values, including beauty, have to be judged as objective, not subjective or intrinsic. " http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/beauty.html
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Here is the general question...
Is it racist to love your race? Are there racist ways to love your race and non-racist ways to love your race?
Below are more specific questions:
Is it racist to love your race because people from your race have higher IQs or are better at sports... Is that racist?
How about in aesthetic issues...
Is it racist to like a black person's skin tone or a white person's eyes. Is that racist? For instance, some white people might say, "We white people are the best looking race because look at all the people of other races trying to copy the way we look!" I've heard similar statements by black people...
Or what about the other side of the coin... what about the people who dislike or hate the way they and other people of their race look? Is it best in that case to downplay other race's features and tell them that their race's features are beautiful? If you don't agree with downplaying the other race's features then what do you think would be the best action to take? We often hear "black is beautiful" in the United States for this reason I think. I remember back in school I heard they did a study with white and black dolls. When young black girls had a choice to pick between a white or a black doll they always went with the white doll.
If you can articulate why you said yes or no then that would be helpful also.
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THANK YOU GUYS! Definitely have given me some ideas and have pointed me in the right direction!
I don't think my professor will grade me down for expressing my views... I spoke up one time in class before when I disagreed with her and she just acted like I didn't say anything.
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I don't agree with the premise of "corporate social responsibility." According to the proselytizers of corporate social responsibility it is service to others that justifies a business' existence i.e. man isn't an end in himself. If a CEO of a company came out and said that his business only exists to make a profit and that he doesn't have any sort of social responsibility outside of those people he voluntarily chooses to associate with, then that business would be vilified and condemned.
The paper is supposed to answer these questions:
- Why is corporate social responsibility important to a company and to society as a whole?
I don't know why it is important. I think that it is hard on the company and immoral.
How will I be socially responsible when I become a business man after I graduate?
I don't want to be socially responsible in the sense of being a slave to the wishes of society.
- What are the differences between corporate social responsibility and business ethics?
I'm not sure how they are different. I know a business is socially responsible when it is perceived that it is doing things for the good of society without getting anything in return. I have seen the term "business ethics" used in the same way. Maybe the difference between the two is that business ethics is primarily concerned with not violating individual rights?
- Who are stakeholders and why are they important to a company?
I don't really see anything wrong with this question. A stakeholder is someone who has an interest or concern in a company. A stakeholder could be a customer, employee, investor, or supplier. Basically, they are important because in order to stay in business the company has to keep them happy.
I doubt I will because I'm not the best writer, but if this paper could somehow get my professor and/or some of my fellow students to think twice about "corporate social responsibility" that would be pretty cool. Ayn Rand said a man of genuine self esteem would shudder at the thought of altruism. Well, I don't think I have made it to the point where I shudder yet but sometimes when someone speaks of some variation of altruism as being the moral ideal I often find myself wanting to roll my eyes.
Any tips, and/or reading recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
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I think a lot about motivation. Is it possible to have constant motivation? Theoretically, if everyday you find a different motivational video, reading, or quote that resonates with your soul, you should be motivated everyday? I haven't tried this myself. I imagine it'll just get harder and harder to become motivated by such things but I don't know for sure.
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Do any of you know of any essays on this topic? Essays from an objectivist perspective (or similar) that talk about the importance of freedom of speech, the right to bear arms or any of the rights in the Bill of Rights?
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The question is in the title...
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1 hour ago, Nicky said:
Then you should answer it. It's not a demographic issue. There are millions of blacks in the US. More than enough to make a good movie.
Was there a black film-maker or actor who created something worth nominating for an Oscar, over the current nominees? Yes or no, and if yes, who?
I would tell him the same thing I tell anyone who complains about not being able to find a job: jobs are infinite. Grab a camera and a few friends and make a movie. There you go, you just got a role in a movie. Hollywood doesn't have to give you a job, to have a job.
Which brings me back to my original question: has any black film-maker or actor done that, and created something better than the stuff that's nominated? Keep in mind that I don't care about production values or special effects. I'm perfectly open to a $10,000 movie, if the people making it/ in it are talented and have done a good job. In fact there are lots of cheap movies that I absolutely love, to the point where I might actually be biased towards cheap movies (and I'm not alone, many people are).
The movie Primer for instance cost $7,000, won at Sundance, and made a lot of money (half a million in theaters alone...many times more on DVD, I'm sure). So why do you need Hollywood to give you a job? Make a movie like that, and then ask Hollywood for a job. If they still won't give you one, then I'll start entertaining the notion that they're racist.
I didn't know any black movies or actors that should replace the current nominees that is why I didn't answer your question outright. It made me think more about the issue, that is why I said that it was a good question... You could say that I should've thought about it more before I asked the question on here but I didn't.
I don't care if people dislike me on here because I ask questions such as this... my emotional knee-jerk response when I heard Jada Smith complaining was something like: "She's just whining and pulling the race card!" but I can't form a good opinion on an issue based on just a knee-jerk emotional response such as that.
Playing a devil's advocate of sorts have served me well and I'm going to continue to do it.
From Ayn Rand Answers
The Best of Her Q & A
Is there any validity to the technique of the devil’s advocate?
AR: Yes, it’s very valuable. Playing devil's advocate means assuming a role opposite to your own conviction; advocating ideas the "devil" would throw at you. This technique trains you to answer every objection to your position. It's a good way to test your ideas, because if you encounter an objection you can't answer, you better find the answer or correct your thinking. (pgs. 178-179)
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2 hours ago, Nicky said:2 hours ago, Nicky said:
I have a tip for that: get a job.
Yeah, you're perfect Nicky you never procrastinate... not even in school you made straight A's did all your work on time and now you are at the top of your field!
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Share your tips on how to beat do-nothingism:
I'll start off... Here is a remarkably simple way to stop procrastinating... I can see a lot of folks here saying that it would never work but don't knock it until you try it'! http://zenhabits.net/leggo/
Quick Question: What time period was America at it's Best?
in History
Posted · Edited by dadmonson
Question is in the title. I'm thinking around 1960?